Local News

“I own the mistake of an interaction that I shouldn’t have done,” Eng said, reflecting on a 2024 incident during which he pulled a T employee’s hair.

By Abby Patkin

June 22, 2026 | 4:45 PM

1 minute to read

MBTA General Manager Phillip Eng has Gov. Maura Healey’s backing following revelations that he pulled a T employee’s hair during a team dinner two years ago. 

Asked Saturday if she has confidence in Eng’s leadership, Healey offered The Boston Globe a curt, decisive answer: “Absolutely.” 

First reported by Contrarian Boston, the November 2024 hair-pulling only surfaced publicly last week. An MBTA spokesperson described the incident as an “insensitive interaction” Eng had with a direct report; the group had reportedly been talking about hair earlier in the evening, and Eng was poking fun at his own baldness. 

“Any claims of harassment, discrimination or retaliatory behavior are completely without merit,” the T spokesperson added. 

Eng, who also serves as the state’s interim transportation secretary, further addressed the incident during an appearance on WCVB’s “On the Record” Sunday. 

“I own the mistake of an interaction that I shouldn’t have done,” he said, adding, “I’ve apologized, and I’m focused on how to move forward in terms of the agency, in terms of making sure we continue to build on the teamwork. Because at the end of the day, it’s how the executive team and our thousands of employees come together and deliver for the public.”

Eng sidestepped a question about whether he underwent any additional training following the hair-pulling incident, saying, “I’ve learned from that day.” He declined to address why the incident made headlines nearly two years after the fact.

“The incident that happened two years ago is something that I’ve apologized for,” he told the Globe Friday. “I understand now, in hindsight, that it was insensitive.”